To the readers
I appreciate any comments on the story.
Notes
[] are used to indicate stage directions
All dialogue follows a "Speaker: dialogue" format
{} are used for author comments.
CONTINUE
[Laura steers Grigory's firing arm away from anyone, kicks him in the groin and flips him onto his back still controlling one of his arms. Diva smashes her guitar down on Grigory's head. He collapses and falls to the ground. Laura makes to pin his arm to his back.]
Laura: Get me something to tie him
[Grigory suddenly breaks out of her pin & springs up. Grigory uses his weight and size to shoulder check Laura so she's blown backward with the wind knocked out of her and onto the ground. Grigory catches a guitar swing from Diva. Diva dodges backward letting go of the guitar case and taking up another stance. Grigory looks to attack her.]
WHAM
[A hook kick hits him from behind in the temple, unsteadying him.]
Grigory: Urgh.
[As he falls, the attacker is revealed to be Sissi. Laura stares are her.
RUSSLE
Grigory wasn't out for good and was apparently searching for his gun. And had found it. He turns up to fire at the two, but Laura grabs his arm and redirects his aim.
BANG
The shot doesn't hit anyone and sails into the air thanks to Laura twisting his wrist at the last second. Laura knees Grigory and gets him to keel over. Then she hammers her elbow into his skull. He releases his hold on the gun allowing Laura to control it. She aims it at him, taking a shooting stance of someone who has obviously held a gun before.
Grigory sees the position he's in and slowly, but surely backs away into the woodland.]
[beat]
[Laura holds her position until he's gone, but the minute he is she starts shaking. She's freaking out, drops the gun and collapses against a tree.]
Diva: What's wrong? Did he get you?
Laura: No, I'm FINE. I'M FINE!
[She looks up at the two staring at her.]
Sissi: Laura…you're a badass?
Laura: Just look away. Please.
[They do.]
Sissi: What was that?
Laura: [gives the technical explanation] A Level 3 pressure point targeting a skull split. He should have a concussion at least. Among other debilitating injuries.
[Sissi looks at her wanting a further explanation.]
Laura: [gives the answer Sissi wanted] Krav Maga…My mother insisted I take self-defense classes before I went to an overseas boarding school.
Sissi: You're really good.
Laura: Thanks, I know. What about you? Where did you train?
Sissi: [answers the obvious question] Pencak Silat? Why does everyone forget I took classes. [trying to make the situation seem normal, but is still nervous and glancing around] You should come to Jim's fight club sometime. I bet you could actually make friends there.
Laura: No.
Sissi: Why not?
Laura: [bursts out] Because last time I-
Diva: [tries to break them up] We should get going. Everyone in the house definitely heard the fight. We were supposed to have evacuated with the school. We can't let Graven see us-
Laura: Let him come. I have my leverage now. [Holds up the gun she stole.]
BANG
[Graven is distracted by the noises of the fight with Grigory.]
Jeremy: [whisper] Yumi, do the thing.
[Yumi prepares to Lan fa Graven in the back of the head. He bolts without even glancing back at them. He's running toward the location of the gunshot.]
Jeremy: Let's go.
William: We don't know who Grigory was fighting.
Jeremy: Check later. Graven is on it and Aelita needs our help.
[They all run down into the basement.]
[Nightcore: Nightmare-by Cherry (original by Set It Off) begins to play.]
[Ulrich is racing along a lower path than Orange and his clone. He jumps into the air. Orange's clone throws its sword forcing Ulrich to block and lose momentum. He falls back to the lower path and crashes to the ground.]
Orange: [laughs] You're so predictable.
Ulrich: You know, for an evil version of myself, you're pissing me off way more than I thought you would.
[Ulrich gets back up and keeps running after them. He jumps from tree to tree and gains elevation until he can jump back to the upper path.
Orange turns around and from a POV shot, there's no sign of Ulrich. Orange and his clone run past a tree, the shadows from the pathways above passing over them. Then one of the shadows separate.
Orange and his clone each cut the bridge section in half and the four wooden pieces clatter around them.
? LP: 100 - 90
Orange turns around to see that Ulrich had dropped down behind them and landed a cut on Orange's shoulder of the arm locked behind his back. Orange is grinning.
They both super sprint, weaving in and around trees. Orange uses Ulrich's sword to hook into, swing around a tree and reverse his direction back toward Ulrich. He jumps and mid air kicks him in the chest.
Ulrich LP: 145 - 125
Ulrich goes down and the clone comes to follow up with a kick. Ulrich rolls out of the way and back onto his feet.]
Orange: You didn't see that coming either? [flips his sword around his hand just like Ulrich does.] Haven't you improved Mr. Anderson? [spins the sword up in a tumble with his fingers.] Of course not. You hate to change the status quo. You never learn. You think if you beat the monster, quote some dumb movie line, just look awesome, that will solve all your problems. [catches the sword with a flourish]
Ulrich: TRIPLICATE!
[Ulrich and his clones attack the unarmed orange clone. Orange throws his sword to the clone's hand to block Ulrich's clone's attack. Ulrich switches his target back to the now defenseless Orange. Orange dodges once before the clone can throw the sword back to him. Ulrich attacks him once, but the saber is already in Orange Prime's hand. The two keeps trading the blade between them in a juggling performance of twirling blades.
Block. VMMSCHING
The Ulrich clone switches targets for a second attack on orange prime.
Block. VMMSCHING
All Ulrichs attack.
Dodge and Orange and his clone knees the Ulrich clones in the back of their heads, destroying them. Orange clone steals a clone's saber before it disappears along with the clone.]
Orange: I know that the only thing that makes you feel real is slicing through monsters in the virtual world. It's so much easier to hack and slash, attack and run than to just say a few words. [He takes off and super sprints up a tree while Ulrich follows him.] Talking to someone and making a relationship is so ephemeral. [Ulrich tries to catch up, but Orange curves around the tree to the other side. Ulrich follows, but Orange keeps spiraling to the other side so Ulrich can't land a hit. The twin light trails leave a screw pattern up the side of the tree.] You need to move, need something you can physically see, something real. If it isn't something you can touch with your hands or hit with your blade, it just lacks-
[Ulrich growls. Ulrich does a fancy sword spin.
He flips the hilt of his sword and takes a backhand gasp on it. Then he holds it horizontal palm down, he releases it just as he hits it with his other hand, spinning it around to the back of his hand and into the air. He carefully catches it with the tips of his fingers at the hilt and back of his hand at the blade tip, spinning it up into the air again. He catches it in a two handed grasp while it's in motion but instead of his usual down stab, he transitions into a side slice that bisects the tree they're both running on.
Ulrich: [lands on top the tree stump] Impact.
Orange: [above] [encouraging] Alright alright alright. Now you're getting it.
[Ulrich sees Orange sitting and posing on the tree with his legs crossed on top of the falling tree.]
Orange: Is this pose cocky enough? Does it say, "This guy has the swagger of a modern major general?"
Ulrich: You've been watching too much cinema sins.
[Ulrich super sprint jumps to the trunk and runs along as it's falling to gain elevation and then jumps after Orange as he's already on the next tree. Orange deflects the hit and Ulrich is knocked into the air. As he's falling, he scraps at the falling tree with his sword and matches to notch a piece of the bark and pull himself closer. He looks up to see a second tree falling onto him. Ulrich rolls back and thrusts his sword into the tree again to catch himself as the two trees collide and the scene shakes. Just in time for the camera to rotate up and show the clone jumping off a tree in the background and kick Ulrich.
Ulrich LP: 125 - 120
He goes down, immediately rolls back onto his feet and slashes at Orange clone. Orange grabs his wrist to stop the slash before it lands. Orange slides from the gap between the two drifting trees and slams his elbow into Ulrich. The clone twists and pulls Ulrich into Orange's incoming elbow.
Ulrich's face vs elbow. Elbow wins and Ulrich pinballs against the against the top, then bottom tree, then he's in free fall.
Ulrich LP: 120 - 115 - 110 - 115
He looks up to see Orange dash, flip and activate super sprint, the light trails forming a shuriken of energy around him, then slam into Ulrich sending him flying, the lines of the trunks speeding by before crashing into a tree…
Ulrich LP: 115 - 100 - 80
And falling before landing on one of the cut trees that fell against a branch creating a long ramp over a chasm between this plateau and the next plateau with the memory tree.
Ulrich LP: 80 - 40
Ulrich starts to look distraught, his avatar sparking.]
Ulrich: That [grunts] was my move.
[The second he sits up, Orange is there twirling his sword.
Ulrich tries to go for Orange's legs with a leg sweep. Orange blocks the motion by stabbing his saber into the trunk to stop the motion of Ulrich's leg before it can hit him and simultaneously use the saber as a lever to launch a kick into Ulrich, knocking him flat.
Ulrich: 40 - 35
Orange runs at the downed Ulrich]
Orange: Immmmpact!
[Stabs at Ulrich.]
Ulrich: Not today Agent Smith. [jumps up as the attack destroys the tree and snaps it in two below him. Orange starts falling toward the digital sea.] You're dead. [winds up to throw his saber down at Orange.]
Orange: [retorts] Dead on.
[The orange clone flying kicks Ulrich out of the air and onto the other plateau.
Ulrich LP: 35 - 10
Orange stabs his saber into the roots of a tree below the plateau to stop his fall. He swings up into his sword and uses it as a platform to jump up to the tower plateau. The remaining orange clone passes its saber to Orange prime.]
[Nightcore: Nightmare pauses.]
Aelita: Odd are you okay.
Odd: Yeah. I think I'm getting the feeling of what triggers it. How did you know the answer was "results"?
Aelita: Odd that wasn't the answer to the question.
[Another question pops up.
What is most important to Waldo's boss?
She types "results".
BING
It's correct.]
Odd: Huh.
Aelita: Yeah.
[Odd starts dancing for no discernible reason besides being Odd Della Robbia.]
Odd: [singing Back street boys "Everybody" parody] "Oh my Odd it's back again. It's the original. It may only be one. But I'm on fiiiiiya. It's got everything I need-"
Aelita: Celebrate later. [She pulls him into the next room by his tail while he's still dancing.]
[Aelita and Odd step into a new room. It's filled with wires and huge pipes run along the sides with coolant all plugged into a massive supercomputer that takes up the back half of the room. Cases of what must be the supercomputer's processors radiate out like spokes from the machine before they swerve up, over where Waldo is standing and into the top of the machine. What looks like the entire base is lined up along the aisles of processors trying to get a view of what Waldo was saying.]
Aelita: So this is the first supercomputer daddy built. What he created XANA to destroy.
Odd: And judging from how XANA took over Lyoko, he went above and beyond with that job.
[Waldo, Anthea, Tyron and their support team are lined up around the machine's interface. Waldo is in the process of explaining something.]
Waldo: … but in order to make a signal grid that could also be encrypted as well as operator for incoming signals, it obviously requires a massive amount of processes.
Odd: Can't your laptop do that now?
Aelita: Yes.
Tyron: [states the obvious] Which is only capable of being generated by this supercomputer.
Anthea: We've had the processing capability for sometime now, but it never could be interpreted or manipulated. And when we simplified the trial down to a preprogrammed algorithmic search for specific signals, it wouldn't receive incoming signals it should have.
Tyron: So, Waldo thought the best way was to create a virtual world.
[A vector graph of a small hexagonal prism appears on the monitor behind him. It's made of sharp, green lines formed by large pixels. Tyron obviously tried to add a flourishing gesture, but it comes off as awkward.]
[beat]
Researcher 1: He made a toy.
Researcher 2: Are we supposed to plug in a controller?
[laughing can be heard from everywhere except from the team around the computer.]
Erikson: Silence! [the noise stops dead] Continue Waldo.
Waldo: [nervously clears throat] The solution was visualizing the supercomputer core in a virtual world and manipulating it from there rather than through coding. The visualization acts as an intermediary both to prevent the computations becoming observable and to manipulate the input. I've called this visualization "The First City". It's just a hub now, but as we expand the visualization it will be able to perform our intended functions.
Researcher 1: Why does this work?
Anthea: Finally, an honest inquiry. Using qubits, we could extrapolate arrays from nonbinary sets of data and have the hub decide on which arrays to operate or pay attention to. But because of the in-quantum state, we were unable to isolate intended data. Instead we could either have the whole array or a single biased result.
Waldo: As we don't have to force a single observable state, we don't lose any of the result.
Aelita: [to Odd] The virtual world solidifies the quantum states making them interpretable rather than being in between one state and the other making it unreadable.
Odd: I feel like I'm watching Ant Man again.
Aelita: This is real.
Odd: [whines] But it sounds fake.
Aelita: What do you call the last 4 years?
Odd: An extended suspension of disbelief.
Anthea: The theory may not impress some of you or go over your heads. [to waldo] we should give them a demonstration.
[Anthea whispers something to Waldo. While there is no way the two avatars should have been able to hear over the machinery, they heard it clearly as if it was directly to them.]
Anthea: This is political meeting, not a board wanting experiment results. We need something more than words.
[Waldo nods in agreement and starts to work on the supercomputer. Tyron looks confused as he was excluded from the conversation.]
Anthea: Someone name a city.
Researcher 3: Shanghai.
Waldo: Okay.
[He adjusts something.]
Waldo: What should the message be?
Erikson: Who's the recipient.
Waldo: It doesn't matter.
Erikson: Just use lorem ipsum for the message. 20 words will do.
Waldo: Alright. It's sent. Will someone kindly get a status report from Shanghai?
[Researcher 1 speed walks out of the room.
Odd's left eye flares up purple again. This time he isn't in pain. The right side of his vision is of the lab, but the left is of him back in the forest. Orange throws a sword at him.
Odd blinks and the flames extinguish.]
Odd: [amazement] It's back! I just saw Ulrich's doppelganger throw a sword at me.
Aelita: This is serious. You need to sit down.
Odd: No no, I've got control of it.
[The results of the demonstration return in the hands of the researcher. He reads off the message.]
Researcher 1: "At 3:09 PM, every single screen in Shanghai went blank and then displayed a 20 word message for 20 seconds." It started with "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet".
[Every face in the room is stamped with amazement. Tyron cheers. Waldo hugs Anthea and kisses her on the cheek.
But Aelita didn't look so happy.]
Odd: That's your "We're in trouble" face.
Aelita: The supercomputer back then was able to control every electrical device and papa just made them display a message. But someone could very easily just take control and cause chaos.
[A door on the side wall opens up after being locked. A holo screen pops up above it and labels it, "Exit".]
Aelita: We need to tell the others about this.
[They both run out the exit and back to the forest sector backup.]
[Sissi is bandaging the left side of her head where the gauntlet struck her. Laura is off by herself leaning against a tree.]
Sissi: Can you hold this.
Diva: Sure. [holds a loose end of the gauze]
Sissi: How come you aren't hurt?
Diva: I'm invincible. [Sissi finishes the bandage wrap] Is that good?
Sissi: [smiles] It's good. [flips her expression] Now buzz off.
[Diva looks amused at her but doesn't have time to say anything. They hear someone running up to them. It's Graven. He looks surprised to see them.
Laura and Diva walk over. Laura is looking determined. She still has the gun in her hand.
[Beat]
She carefully hands it over to him.]
Laura: I was able to disarm the intruder on campus. He was wearing a black trench coat and had a 2 meter build. While my fingerprints are on the outside, you might be able to pick up some from the magazine.
Graven: [awe-struck] Well that is most fortunate that you were able to escape from an armed intruder safety. [resumes composure] Why are you three out here instead of hiding with the rest of the school?
Laura: uh-
Diva: [steps in front of her] I wanted to be a hero and take the guy down. I mean, this happens all the time back home in America. It's no big deal to me. But she [points to Laura] insisted on following me to try to bring me back and Delmas [points to Sissi] was being responsible by not letting students run off during a crisis.
Graven: Well, it's best if we return to campus and I'll fill the principal in on the situation. Thank you for your quick thinking.
[The girls make to return. Sissi and Diva walk along, but Laura stops.]
Laura: [planting a conversation] You wanted to say something?
Graven: No… actually now that you mention it, how did you initiate contact with our "headmaster" in the first place?
Laura: [not what she was expecting] Oh, it was nothing special. I just found a business card from your company. I must have picked it up at a career fair. [digs in her shoulder bag and pulls out the card.]
Graven: That's impossible, we don't do career-
[Stops as he stares at the card in his hand. He pulls out his business card from his wallet. They are identical. He flips the cards over to show the backs. Her copy has his signature on it.]
Graven: You said you were the one to identify Aelita? What's your relationship with her?
Laura: [simply] She hates me. [puzzled] I feel like I should know why, but I every time I try to remember it just slips away.
Graven: Memory is a mysterious thing, isn't it? I won't forget what you did today.
Laura: [surprised and happy] Oh. You're welcome.
Graven: Move along now.
[As soon as she's out of sight of Graven, Laura does a little fist pump to herself.]
Laura: Yes!
[As he's walking Graven takes out his phone. He plugs in a dongle and it turns on.]
Graven: I need to speak with Tyron... It needs to be him…Tell him his dog walker should be fired… Just tell him.
Beep
Tyron: [phone] What is this about Grigory?
Graven: The targets said they were attacked by a man with the machine. And he had dogs with him. I was supposed to be the only one here. The task was complicated due to-
Tyron: [phone] I did not send Grigory.
Graven: Then who did?
Tyron: Finish your job and report back. I have a call to make.
[Ulrich and Orange are clashing. Their light trails curve around trees as their swords clash and trees fall from the trio's slashes.]
Orange: You're never going to win.
[Ulrich slumps against the side of one of the fallen trees.]
Ulrich: Not yet. I can do this all day.
Orange: [sighs] I'm not talking about this fight, Mr. Case. [Ulrich's confused] You challenged William because you wanted to turn your dilemma into a fight. You really are selfish enough to objectify a relationship into something that can be "won".
Ulrich: [refusal] No, I just wanted this stupid back and forth to end. I was running out of time.
Orange: You had an entire year!
Ulrich: Because I was working through my emotions.
Orange: You don't have emotions. You have grouchy and not grouchy. You waste every chance you get because you never have the initiative to follow through.
[Ulrich notices that his headband is shorter than when it had initially appeared when he spawned in.]
[Nightcore: Nightmare music resumes.]
Ulrich: Hey Orange!
Orange: [annoyed] What Mr. Kazuto?
Ulrich: TRIANGULATE!
[Ulrich's Headband tail completely disappears in as its consumed in Yellow aura. A triangle of afterimages appears around the two orange avatars. Two Ulrich clones stab the orange clone in the back. Now it's 3 on 1.]
Orange: You finally realized you start with enough energy for 2 triplicates? Took you long enough.
[Ulrich and clones triple team Orange. Orange dodges and parries them, trying to get one hit on the clones.
Ulrich jumps up and slashes down and back up in a U shape, tearing the red saber out of Orange's grasp and high into the air.
With the new opportunity, a clone moves in to stab Orange in the back.
CLANG
Orange blocks with his own katana scabbard without drawing the sword.
[beat. The sword reaches the apex of its arc.]
Orange: You forgot about my sword, didn't you? Next time try to make me actually need to use it.
Ulrich: Next time?
[Orange tilts his head to show his Warrior's Wolf Tail. Instead of its full length, it was significantly shorter than when Orange had first appeared.]
Orange: TRIANGULATE!
[More of the orange hair disintegrates into particles and floats away. Orange glows and two clones split off from him.
The next few things happen almost simultaneously.
Orange prime takes out one of Ulrich's clones. Ulrich and the remaining Ulrich clone double attack an orange clone. The Ulrich clone aims for a headshot while Ulrich himself aims to nick the orange clone on the leg. The orange clone knowing it's going to be taken out, stabs the Ulrich clone in the arm, destroying it completely, and lets itself be decapitated. The other orange clone runs to where it can catch the sword Ulrich had knocked into the air. Orange prime is preparing for something and isn't even facing Ulrich.]
Ulrich charges at Orange.]
Ulrich: [intense] IMPACT!
Orange: [calm] Fusion Slash.
[The orange clone catches the sword and is reabsorbed into Orange, placing the sword into Orange's hand. But now it's glowing red and somehow almost twice its normal length. He's in the perfect stance for a side slash and the extra length will allow him to cut Ulrich before his stab even reaches Orange.
Ulrich immediately drops his stab and goes into a guard stance forming a v shape with his downturned blade and his bracer, ready to catch Orange's blade.
CRACK
Orange's blade smashed through Ulrich's saber despite them being the same type of blade, through Ulrich's bracer and slices Ulrich in two.
Ulrich LP: 10 - 0
The blade is so long the strike continues into the redwood…
At head level…
Just as Aelita and Odd exit.
THUNK
[Nightcore: Nightmare ends. Cut to black.]
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